Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1887-12-16

Senator Ingalls's Ideas.
Senator ingalls, of Kansas was inter
viewed the other day upon the surplus.
1t is needless to say that he has ideas on
the subject, and they are not of the stereo-
typed kind. He said to a Worid cores
pendent:
| would spend this surplus in lettering
the condition of the country. | would es-
tablish, first, a great national institution
for the training of teachers, las soldiers are
educated at West Point and naval officers
at Annapolis, whose salaries should be
paid from the treasury, aud who should
be sent to those parts of the United States
where they are needed, to establish com
mon schools, and to battle with ignor-
ance. | would not give millions to States
that nave shown themselves absolutely
indifferent to the education Of the people
without supervision or responsibility, as
is contemplated in the Blair bill. | be
lieVe that universal education is indlspeu.
sable to national existence, but differ
ent method should be adopted to secure
it. Again, while do not advocate the es-
Establishment of a larger navy than is sutl-
Gent to run national errandS and to
take its place in the pageants of the seas,
| am decidedly in favor of impregnable
coast defenses. | would put the best guns
modern invention can furnish on all the
headlands of this country from Nova
Scotia to NancOuver's island and supple
ment these with torpedOes that would
prevent entrance to our harborS and pro
tect our great commercial cities. Then |
would also stop the payment of rent by
government Uncle Sam is too big and
wealthy 10 be tenant. The government
should own the premises everywhere that
1t occupies for courts, custom houses, post
Offices and other purposes not costly nor
eXtravagant in construction, but an
oil in ln
OF the rent, so that the government should
be constantly present as an existing force
among the people in the remotest locali-
ties, symbolized by the flag that would
float from sunrise to sunset above the ma
tional property. | know no better way
than this to teach our people the spelling
OF the word Nation with big N and
such system would be invaluable in the
fostering of patriotism"
But the people already complain of
their taxes ~
NO" replied the senator, you are mis-
taken. The people are not complaining of
taxation. The burdens of taxation is a
dishonest phrase invented by demagogues.
The people of the United States pay their
taxes without feeling them, and those
which it is proposed to reduce in cutting
down the surplus are those which are
least felt and which are voluntarily paid.
The amount contributed by each indiyid-
This constant uprOar about the burdens
of taxation is as sensible as an assault
upon the laws of nature would be by the
assertion that every man is sustaining an
atmospheric pressure of several hundred
pounds upon every square inch of his body.
1t would seem like an lntOlerabie hard.
ship if all the other facts were suppressed,
as these demagogueS suppress every
other fact i'll the great problem of political
economy with which they profess to deal.
If you don't care to paw the tax on whiskey
you can get rid of it by letting whiskey
alone. If don't smoke my cigar, take
snuff or chew tobacco, 1 avoid the tobacco
tax, as far as | am concerned, and even
were the tax taken off, | don't believe it
would reduce the retail price of whiskey
or beer or tobacco We pay, they say
S47 900 600 year duty out of the 100000,
900 worth of sugar which we buy. The
figures sound big, and when it is consid-
cred that the tax is levied to support the
Industries OF Louisiana, whose annual
production of sugar has never amounted
to more than $4,000, 900, and the pro-
duce of which has often run down
Inconsistent But if the tax were
taken of sugar an export duty would
undoubtedly be levied in Cuba and else
where, and the result would be that sugar
would be no cheaper to the consumer than
now. 1t was so with coffee and tea. These
articles were no cheaper AFTER being
placed on the free list. The producing
countries laid an export tax. The con
sumner pays the old price and the foreign
government gets the profits instead of
Uncle Sam. a to whiskey and tobacco,
these are purchased by the consumer in
such small quantities that the retail price
would not be reduced
"Do you believe in protection as protec-
ton ?"
Eyes, believe in protection for the sake
of protection. 1t is upon this policy that
the country has grown to its present de-
velopment, and protection is thoroughly
in accordance with the spirit of Ameri
with facts. You can build up the most
plausible and beautiful theory of free
trade, but when you have finished it is
only theory. Free trade has all the
argument, but protection has all the
facts"